Sobakoh Restaurant Review

: Soba noodles may not get the same kind of groupies that follow sushi or ramen, but these buckwheat noodles do have some fans who seek them out all over the city. Sobakoh is a counterintuitive choice for noodleheads. The typical soba stand is nestled in the basement of a nondescript Midtown office building while Sobakoh is front and center in the East Village. It looks like a classic, understated Japanese restaurant with wood tables, little in the way of adornment, and a staff flitting about with noodles on slatted plates. The sheer number of soba varieties here astounds, from the basic seiro soba to soba with all sorts of additives like eel tempura, deep-fried Japanese eggplant, mitsuba leaves, yuzu, soft shell crab, and sea urchin. It’s the more expressive, gilded dishes that are the best, as the soba alone can be on the plain side. There are a few appetizers that round out the menu, including edamame and soba gnocchi with chicken, but it’s the noodles that reign supreme. For dessert, consider the green tea mousse and black sesame pudding.